Release suspension apparatus



APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23.1919.

Patented Dec. 16,1919

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

//W////l//////l/l//f L INVENTOR ATTORNEY .mill-avr.

c.1.c0uLER. l RELEASE SUSPENSION APPARATUS.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

l INVENTOR Cim/MJT @um BY APPLCATlON FILED IUNEZS, 1919.

WITNEssEs /3 W w ATTORNEY 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. COULTER, OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO OSW ELL 'I'. ELLIS, OF LQNG- BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

RELEASE SUSPENSION APPARATUS.

Application led June 28, 1919.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that L'CHAnLns J. COULTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Release Suspension Apparatus, of which the following' is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus whereby a boat or other body is suspended from block and tackle so as to provide for quick and convenient release of the boat or other body, and the apparatus is especially useful for the launching ot a boat from a vessel.

An object of this invention is to make provision for simultaneous release of both ends of the boat or other body from the tackle, thus making it impossible to release but one end which would result in tipping or upsetting of the boat in the launching operation.

Another object is to make provision for simultaneous operation of the grapples at a point intermediate of the grapples.

Another object is to so construct the device that the operating line will be out of the way so that it will not be accidentally pulled and thus release the grapples when such release is not desired.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention l Figure 1.is a side elevation of an apparatus made in accordance with the provisions of this invention and assembled in position on a boat which is shown in longitudinal mid section, portions of a block and tackle also being shown in elevation attached to the grapples.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of Fig. 1, the grapples being in section and the gunwale being partly broken away.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of one of the grapples shown in Fig. 2, the releasable arm being shown in open position.

Fig. l is an enlarged verticle mid section of the lower portion of one of the grapples, the releasable arm being shown in closed position.

Fig. 5 is a plan section on line indicated by :c5-:05, Fig. a.

Fig. 6 is a plan section on line indicated by :a-Q26, Fig. 1.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 1e, 1919.

Serial No. 307,377.

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation on line indicated by faf-?, Fig. L1.

A boat is indicated at a and fastened by bolts b to opposite ends 01"' tlie boat are grapples c. Each grapple c is adapted to be engaged by a block and tackle d and each block and tackle Z is adapted to be suspended by davits, or other suitable suspension means, not shown.

The grapples c are of like construction and are of a type releasable Afrom the block and tackle by a. pull on an operating line. Each of the grapples shown in the drawings is constructed as follows:

There are provided two outwardly convex arms 1, 2, the arm l having ears 3 and the arm 2 having an ear 4 inserted between the ears 3 and pivotally connected to said ears 3 by a pivot 5. The arms 1, 2 are so constructed that the pivot 5 is located on one side of the longtitudinal axis of the grapple, the arm 2 being hook-shaped so that when the eye ,t of the block and tackle is passed through the eye formed by the arms 1, 2 said eye will engage only the arm 2. The arm 2 is adapted to be held in closed position and for this purpose is provided at its free end with a tongue 6 adapted to be accommodated in a groove 7 in the arm 1.

The arm 1 adjacent the groove 7 forms a bearing 8 for a rotative sleeve 9 which is provided with a slot 10, adapted, by appropriate turning of the sleeve, to be brought into registration with the groove 7 so that the tongue 6 can readily be inserted in or withdrawn from the groove 7 to close or open the grapple. rlhe sleeve 9 is normally held with its slot 10 out of registration with thegroove 7 by a coil spring 11 housed in achainber 12 formed in the lower portion of the sleeve 9. The spring is interposed between an abutment 8 of the collar and an abutment 9 of the straight shank 13 of the arm 1. The shank 13 extends through the chamber 12 and is threaded at 14 to receive a nut or coupling 15 bearing against a washer 10 so as to hold the arm 1 and sleeve 9 assembled. The spring 11 may be put under suliicient tension by turning the sleeve 9 in one direction to turn the sleeve in the opposite direction with its slot 10 out of registration with the groove 7, and there is an abutment in the form of a pin 16 projecting from the collar adapted to engage an abutment 17 in the form of a pin ef'endin laterally from tne arin 1. The

p -s 1G, 17 constitute stops to liinit rotation o; the sleeve 9 by the spring 11. To turn the sleeve 9 gainst the power of the spring 11, said sleeve is provided with an arin 18 extending laterally therefrom and said arni may be an integral part of the sleeve or, as shown in the drawings, inay be fastened in place by screws 19, thus forming, functionally, a part of the sleeve.

The coupling 15 is screw-threaded onto the shank 15 of a flange 20 adapted to receive the bolts which serve to fasten the grapple to the boat a. The outer end of the arni 18 is provided with a perforation 21 through which passes a pin 21 inounted in l' rped clip 20 that is fastened to one end of an operating line 22, said line being rove through a tube fastened by fasteners 2a'- inside of the boat4 preferably beneath the gun .ale 25 of the boat.

Vllhe shank is of less diaineter than the bearing S and thus there is formed an annular shoulder 2? against which seats an annu` lar shoulder 2S inside of the sleeve 9. This prevents V"eudwise movement of the sleeve upwarchy and the washer forms a shoulder 29 adapted to engage the lower end of the sleeve to prevent endwise inoveinent of the sleeve downwardly.

iow referring inore particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the tubes 23 extend from near tno ends of the boat to near the niiddle thereof in alinenient with and spaced froin one another at their adjacent ends, said space being indicated atBO. The operating lines are connected together, or the o )eratingline inay be one continuous line extending from the arin 18 of one grapple to the arin 1S of the other grapple, the length of the operating line being such that it is taut at the space 30 when the arnis 18 are in their latching positions. rThe tubes 23 niay be lnore or less flexible, if desired and extend inwardly at their outer ends toward the longitudinal axis of the boat.

In practical operation, assuming that the grapples o are suspended frein the eyes f of the block and tackle as in Fig. 1, the boat will be lowered by paying out the tackle in a nianner well understood in the art pertaining to boat suspension apparatus and when the boat reaches the water the operator will grasp the operating line in the space 30 and will pull said line toward hiin, thus simultaneously exerting a pull on the arnis 18 of both of the grapples to turn the sleeves 9 to bring the slots 10 into registra-l tion with the grooves '7. lioveinent of the boat downwardly in the trough of the sea or away froin the tackle will cause the arins 2 to swing' outwardly and upwardly and will withdraw said arins 2 froni the eyes f, thus freeing both ends of the boat siniultaneously froin the tackle.

In addition to the construction hereinbefore described l have made provision for facilitating the engaging of the grapples with the eyes f as follows: The arms are provided near their free ends with eyes 31 in which are secured one end of lanyards Vhen it is desired to pick up the boat the lanyards 32 will be drawn through the eyes by the operator to draw the arins 2 into the eyes f and the arins 18 will be operated to bring the slots 10 into registration with the grooves 7, whereupon the arlns will swing into closed position without it being necessary for the operator to grasp the grapple arins 2. By thus operating the arins il, the operator will avoid liability to crushing or otherwise injuring his hands while in the act of fastening the grapple to the eyes j.

It is understood that the paratus niay be used with other bodies than boats and that the boat shown in the drawings is only typical of those bodies which may be releasably suspended by the apparatus and released at both ends simultaneously from the grapples.

1 claim:

The combination with a body, of groot/'ed arins fastened one to each end of the body, other arms pivoted to the first-named arias and having tongues to engage in the grooves, the associated arins forming eyes when the tongues are in the grooves, sleeves rotativel)v mounted on the first arms at the groove and each provided with a slot adapted to be brought into registration with the associated Groove, ineans yieldingly holding the sleeves turned with their slots out of registration with the respective grooves, arms projecting from the sleeves, and an operating line connected at its opposite ends to the last nanied arins.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calilornia, this 21st day of June, 1919.

CHARLES J. C@ JFER.

lVitnesses GEORGE H. HrLEs, L. BELLE WEAVER. 

